


Color My Life

by heytheregisela



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M, Mavin, RageHappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-01-23 18:16:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1574936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heytheregisela/pseuds/heytheregisela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where everything is black and white until you meet your soulmate. Additionally, when your soulmate dies, the world goes back to black and white.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, well, I'm not sure how long this is exactly going to be, but I had to get started on it ASAP because I thought this was a really cool idea. Hope it doesn't disappoint so far!!

When you opened your eyes for the very first time, the world was black and white. When you adjusted to the light of the hospital room, the world remained in black and white. Your earliest memories were in black and white. The scenery surrounding you as your grew older were all just black and white. Because that's how the world worked. Not for everyone, though. Many talked of color, how beautifully green nature was, how there were many different shades of a certain color. Kids and most teenagers never believed this. There was no such thing as color. The world worked in two colors and two colors only; black and white.

Most teachers who taught kindergarten were married or currently in a relationship where it was obvious it was meant to be, because they could see it – the colors. They happened when one met the one destined to be with them, the one they were meant to be with, the one they would fall in love with, the one that in a sense, completed them. So in kindergarten, even though the children didn't see anything beyond the gray scale, they were taught to learn each color. Of course, none of it made sense to them, and they didn't really have to learn to tell them apart – that would be impossible, but they would learn the names for future references.

It sounded silly to them, no matter how many times their parents would tell them the world did exist in color. They couldn't believe it, and they wouldn't believe it until they saw it for themselves.

“With time, you'll see it, too, Michael,” Mrs. Jones, a proud mother of a restless, curly haired boy, said to the boy every night as she tucked him in.

Michael always wrinkled up his nose in response and crossed his arms.

And this particular night, Mrs. Jones laughed and kissed his forehead. “You'll see.”

“Yuck, love,” Michael stuck out his tongue. “Why does something so gross help us see color? That's dumb.”

“It sounds dumb right now,” Mrs. Jones said, “but you'll understand when you get older.”

“What if I don't like my _soulmate_?” Michael asked.

“Well, I didn't really like your dad when I first met him, either.” His mom smiled at him. “But eventually, he got to me, and your soulmate will, too, if you really don't like them when you meet them.”

“And the color will just come?”

Mrs. Jones nodded. “And it's beautiful. It comes, all slowly, coloring everything around me. And it stays that way.”

Michael's expression softened. He wanted to meet this soulmate just so he could get the color in his life. He was tired of black and white, especially when adults made color sound so exciting. It wasn't fair.

“Is he asleep yet?” Mr. Jones appeared in the doorway.

Michael's eyes lit up at the sight of his dad.

“Almost,” Mrs. Jones answered, “I was just telling him more about how soulmates and colors work.”

“Oh, don't fill his mind about that stuff. Let him be surprised.”

“Dad, how old were you and Mom when you two met?” Michael asked.

Mr. Jones rubbed his chin as he thought back to it, then a smile formed on his face. “Twenty years old.”

Mrs. Jones smiled and nodded. “Well, I was nineteen.” She sighed. “I didn't understand at first, why my color came when I met him, because like I told you, Michael, I didn't like him.”

Mr. Jones laughed and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. “She really didn't. She despised me, thought I was too chatty.”

“You were. You couldn't keep your mouth shut for longer than a minute.”

Mr. Jones laughed again. “But now look at us.”

“Yeah, well, I got used to it.” They smiled at each other and Michael rolled his eyes.

Mr. Jones noticed and patted Michael's thigh. “You're only four, Michael. You'll understand one day.”

Michael shrugged.

“Goodnight, Michael,” Mrs. Jones said as she made her way to the door.

“Sweet dreams,” his dad said, and with that, they closed the door and Michael was left alone with his imagination.

He wondered how colors looked, how his clothes and bedroom would look with color, and basically, how anything would look. He would be able to see the colors in cartoons, at the playground, and all around him. He couldn't wait. He really couldn't wait. And he closed his eyes, eager to go to sleep and make the next day go by, and the next, and the next, until he met his _soulmate._ Gross, but colors would be worth it! Well, he hoped they would.

 

* * *

 

It was nearing his fifth birthday, that much Michael remembered. He had waken up one morning to his mother's sobs coming from the kitchen. He remembered jumping out of bed and running out of his bedroom and down the hall to see why she was so sad. She sat there at the kitchen table, a police officer speaking to her – apologizing it seemed. But why?

Michael slowly walked closer to them.

“Ma'am, we have the drunk driver-” the officer stopped talking when he noticed Michael. “You must be Michael.”

Mrs. Jones sniffled and looked over. “Oh... oh, Michael. Come here!” She opened her arms wide and Michael ran straight into her arms. “Oh, Michael,” she sobbed, “I can't see the color of your hair, your eyes...”

Michael blinked and pulled away to look at her face. “Why not?”

Mrs. Jones couldn't tell him. She just couldn't, not with the look he was giving her, not with the pain in her chest.

“Son, there's no easy way of putting this,” the officer spoke again, and he leaned down until he was Michael's height. “Your dad... he was in an accident.”

Michael's eyes widened. “Is he okay?”

The officer pursed his lips and slowly shook his head. “I'm sorry. He didn't make it.”

And that was that. His father was gone. A drunk driving car accident. Someone had made the choice to drive under the influence of alcohol and took Michael's dad from him. Just like that. It all happened so fast. His dad was fine. He was there with them the night before. He had eaten dinner, he had laughed, he had tucked Michael in. Then he got a call. His sister wasn't feeling well, so he had left to go check on her. And he never came home...

He would never come home again.

Michael dropped to his knees and hugged his mother's legs as he cried out. He screamed when the officer tried comforting him and only relaxed when his mother picked him up and placed him on her lap. Michael hugged her tightly, staining her shirt with his tears.

Michael didn't ask the question of why his mother could no longer see the color of his hair or his eyes until a week later. It had been lingering in the back of his mind, but he didn't get the courage to ask it until his mother was packing his father's things away.

“You can't see color anymore?” Michael asked softly.

Mrs. Jones shook her head and sniffled. “No, sweetie. I can't.”

“Why not?”

His mom sighed and sat down on the bed next to Michael. “You're born without the ability to see color. You only see black and white until you meet the one for you. They're the color of your life, and when that color dies out-” her eyes watered, “you're left with nothing but gray again.”

Michael frowned as he watched her cover her face with her hands and cry again. She didn't stop completely crying until a month after, but she didn't really start smiling again for another year. Michael still couldn't understand why color depended on meeting someone meant for you.

He didn't understand until fifteen years later.

* * *

 

“That doesn't match,” Michael's friend, Ray, said as Michael tried picking out the right outfit his job interview.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Ray?” Michael snapped at him. “Shut the fuck up about that already. I get it, you met your god damn soulmate. You see color now. Big whoop.”

Ray laughed and shook his head. “Michael, you can be using me to your advantage. Thanks to me, your outfits have been matching and looking decent to everyone else who sees color.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

“And this is not just a job interview,” Ray said.

“I feel I can get this job, though. How hard can it be? I mean, you work there.”

Ray squinted his eyes at Michael and Michael couldn't help but laugh now.

“If this works out, we'll be working together,” Ray told him.

Michael nodded. “I know. Sounds pretty cool. Rooster Teeth sounds really cool.”

“It's the dream job.”

“I've heard... from you... a thousand times. Just as many times as I've heard about your new life in color, you annoying, bragging fuck.”

Ray smiled innocently and sat up on Michael's bed. He watched as Michael pulled out another shirt. It was a light blue colored shirt, and Ray clapped.

“That's the one,” Ray told him.

“This is the blue one, right?” Michael asked.

Ray nodded. “Yeah, and it actually matches with the tie you want to so desperately wear.”

Michael sighed. “It was my dad's tie, Ray. He wore it almost everyday to work.”

Ray's jaw slowly dropped at the realization. Well, that definitely makes a lot of sense now. Ray had just figured Michael really wanted to wear that specific tie to the interview because it was the first thing he picked out. And now he felt bad...

“Oh,” he said softly, “sorry.”

Michael shook his head. “It's fine.”

“Well,” Ray stood up and patted Michael's back, “I think it's a... great tie.”

Michael narrowed his eyes at Ray.

“It is,” Ray said with a shrug. “Stop looking at me like that. I'm not bullshitting you.”

Michael pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked back at his outfit. “I know it's a great tie.” He smiled as he picked it up. “It belonged to a great man.”

“And now it belongs to you,” Ray said, “the second greatest man- aw crap, I'm getting sentimental.”

“This is you being sentimental?” Michael raised an eyebrow.

Ray thought it over and shrugged again. “In my opinion, yeah.”

Michael laughed. “Wow.”

Ray smiled and sat back down on Michael's bed. He was quiet as he looked through his text messages while Michael went ahead and started changing.

“So who's cool there and who isn't?” Michael asked. “I can only base their personalities off the videos I've seen, but I don't actually _know_ them.”

“You'll like them,” Ray said, then he paused to think about everyone who works there, “well, I think most of them.”

Michael snickered and shook his head. “Alright. I guess I'll just find out on my own.”

Once he was dressed into his interview outfit, he saw that if he left now, he could get there right on time. They left Michael's small apartment and headed to the Rooster Teeth office. Michael felt himself growing more nervous the closer they got.

“Relax,” Ray told him.

“I am relaxed. Shut up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Ray nodded and looked out the window, but it wasn't long until he was facing Michael again. “Positive?”

“Fucking yes, Ray!”

Ray laughed. “Okay. Just checking.”

Pulling into the parking lot, Michael turned off his car and just sat there, staring forward. Ray unbuckled his seatbelt until he realized Michael wasn't moving.

“Hey, Michael... we're here,” he said.

Michael glared at him. “Yeah, I know. It's kind of why I parked.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Your interview starts in...” Ray checked his phone, “five minutes.”

Michael's eyes widened and he took a deep breath. “Okay, yeah... right. I'm ready. Okay, let's go.” Yet he didn't move.

Ray threw his hands up and got out of the car.

“Where are you going?” Michael asked him.

Ray walked over to Michael's side and opened the door for him. “Getting your ass out of here and in there.” He pointed to the building.

“Oh, right...” Michael smiled lopsidedly. “I knew that. Yeah.” Slowly, he stepped out of the car and closed the door behind him. _Why am I so fucking nervous,_ he wondered to himself, _I've been to job interviews before. It's no different. Oh, who am I kidding? This is Rooster Teeth, for crying out loud! It's all different! It's the big thing!_ Michael shook his thoughts away and turned to Ray.

“Ready?” Ray asked.

Michael smiled. “Ready.”

They walked into the building together and Michael was taken back by the way it looked. There were all sorts of pictures on the wall, and a long hallway that led to a staircase, but beyond that staircase looked to be a studio. And Michael frowned. This place probably looked ten times better in color.

“God damnit, Gavin,” a voice said.

Michael looked over to see two guys running out of an office. The older one seemed to be chasing the younger one, and the younger one was laughing as he ran with a controller in his hands.

The older one stopped running. “You do realize you're not only wasting my time, but wasting yours as well?”

“Worth it!” The younger one shouted, an accent filling his voice.

And Michael cringed as he felt a headache coming in, and coming in fast.

“What's wrong?” Ray asked. “Are you okay?”

Michael bent over a bit and nodded. “Yeah... just a fucking headache.”

“I told you to relax.”

“I am, but-” Michael closed his eyes tightly. “But what the hell... Ah, fuck!”

“Are you okay?” Another voice asked.

“He said he has a headache,” Ray told the woman the voice came from.

“I've never seen a headache make me react like that.”

“I'm fine, I'm fine,” Michael said, rubbing his forehead with his fingers, but he kept his eyes closed, because keeping them closed made him feel relaxed.

“Michael?” Yet another voice, a more older sounding voice.

“Oh, hey Geoff,” Ray greeted the man. “Yeah, this is Michael.” He patted Michael's back.

“Uh, you okay there, Michael?” Geoff, Michael assumed, asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm-” Michael opened his eyes to see Geoff standing in front of him, and then he gasped and jumped back.

“Dude, Michael,” Ray held him in place. “What's going on with you?”

Michael looked over at Ray and screamed a bit. “You're... you're fucking pale. Why the fuck do they call you 'Brownman'? You're not brown at all!”

Ray blinked. “What?”

“Your skin... oh, hell.” Michael looked around as he saw the walls slowly fading from gray. His expression softened as he watched in awe. It was like an unveiling and Michael had front row seats.

“Wait, you can see the color of my skin?” Ray looked at his arms and hands as if he were seeing color for the first time as well.

“He couldn't see color yet?” Geoff asked with a raised eyebrow, and when Ray shook his head, Geoff grinned and looked at Michael. “Well, wow. Congratulations, buddy. Who's the lucky one?”

Michael blinked hard, hoping this wasn't just some dream, because really, he had grown so sick and tired of the dull gray. But it wasn't a dream. It was happening, and... the lucky one?

“Gavin!”

Michael looked over to where the man and the younger one – well, Gavin – stood. The man snatched his controller back as Gavin merely stood there, seeming in the same state of shock as Michael was. Michael's lips parted as he stared at Gavin – sand colored hair that was standing up in all directions (seriously, who just got up and let themselves walk around with that kind of hair? Michael had to admit, though, the look worked for Gavin). Gavin could see it – the colors. It was evident with how he looked around the room and at the man in front of him with such amazement as Michael just had with Ray.

“Michael?” Ray asked, waving a hand in front of Michael's face.

Michael kept his eyes on Gavin as he said in a breathy tone, “Him.”

 

 

 


	2. Two

Michael forced himself to look away from Gavin when he kept hearing his name being repeatedly said by Ray. Michael faced his friend with furrowed eyebrows. Ray placed his hand on Michael's shoulder and smiled.

“Are you sure it's Gavin?” Ray asked. “Gavin Free?”

Michael nodded. “Yeah, because...” he looked back to where Gavin was, and he saw the blond practically leap into the older man's arms.

“I know what color shirt you're wearing!” Gavin loudly announced. “I know what all the colors are around me!”

The older man raised an eyebrow and stepped back. “You found your soulmate?”

Gavin nodded excitedly and clapped his hands. “I did. Ryan, I'm finally in the loop with the rest of you in the Achievement Hunter office!”

Ray sighed and looked at Michael. “Well, good luck.” He patted Michael's back before heading back into the Achievement Hunter office.

Michael blinked and he watched how excitedly Gavin was jumping around the man. “Is Gavin always like that?”

Geoff laughed a bit and shook his head. “He's a little bit of everything.”

“Well, who is it?” The older man – Ryan – asked Gavin.

Gavin immediately turned his attention to Michael as a goofy grin spread across his face. Michael felt something tingle inside his stomach as Gavin approached him and Geoff.

“Good morning, Geoff,” Gavin greeted Geoff before looking at Michael again. “And you, whoever you are. It's a _pleasure_ to meet you.” He extended his hand out and Michael looked at it.

He always imagined meeting his soulmate would be intimate, private – just nothing like the way it was going. But he smiled as he shook Gavin's hand and said, “Nice to meet you too.”

“This is Michael,” Geoff introduced Michael to Gavin. “He's here for an interview.”

“You're going to work here?” Gavin grinned lopsidedly as he asked Michael.

Michael shrugged. “If it fucking works out, yeah.”

Geoff smiled at Michael. “Well, follow me.”

Gavin watched Michael walk away with Geoff, and he held back the squeal he was so desperately holding in. When Michael was out of sight, Gavin ran into the Achievement Hunter office where Ryan already was now, along with the other Achievement Hunters.

“Not again,” Ryan mumbled, holding his controller away from Gavin.

“Oh, don't worry, Ryan,” Gavin told him. He sighed contently as he sat back down in his seat, his eyes shifting over to look at the empty seat next to him. His heart tingled at the thought of Michael filling in that seat, because that's why he was being interviewed, because Geoff decided it was about time they added a new member to the team.

Ray finally noticed Gavin's glances and smiled. “Hoping your soulmate gets the job?”

Jack spun in his chair to face Gavin. “You found your soulmate?”

Gavin nodded with a cheesy grin and Jack smiled at him.

“Hey, congratulations!”

“Thanks, Jack!” And when Jack turned away, Gavin looked at Ray. He recalled Ray's question and scoffed and shook his head. “Wouldn't matter if he didn't get the job. He's still my soulmate.” The word felt strange on his tongue and he felt the urge to smile again, because it was the best kind of strange.

Ray laughed softly. “Still, wouldn't it be cool to work with him?” Gavin didn't answer. “I know for me it would, because he's my best friend. That's why I put in many good words for him.”

Yes, it would be cool to work with him – Gavin did have to admit that. The blond was now facing Ray again, with a small smile, and he couldn't wait for Geoff to return and tell them whether or not Michael was hired or was at least going to be considered. The wait couldn't be any longer. Gavin felt himself feeling antsy throughout editing his current video. He kept stopping to sigh and daydream about what he would do if Michael wasn't hired. And how would they even go about with this whole 'soulmate' thing? They were meant to be – clearly – but that didn't mean they were automatically in love with each other. Michael was cute, though, and seemed quite amusing, judging off all the stories Ray would always tell about him. He seemed very likable.

Hmm, so how exactly would they fall in love?

Would it happen while they were on a date? At night? In the morning? Sometime during the day?

Would it when they were merely texting each other and Gavin found himself smiling particularly more at a silly text.

Would it happen in the next two weeks? Months?

Gavin tapped his fingers impatiently on his desk when the door finally opened. He jumped up without wanting to, and he stared in awe of Geoff, just _waiting_ for the news.

Geoff raised his eyebrows.

Gavin threw his hands up and Geoff only blinked.

“Well?” Gavin asked.

“Well what?” Geoff crossed his arms.

Gavin groaned and Ray laughed.

“Are you going to bloody tell us if Michael has the job or not? We've been waiting for you to return to find out.”

“Correction, _Gavin's_ been waiting,” Ryan told Geoff.

Gavin pursed his lips.

Geoff nodded at Ryan then smiled at Gavin. “Well, like Ray told me, he's got experience, and he showed me some of his old videos. He is fucking hilarious.”

“Told you,” Ray said with a smile, and Gavin felt his cheeks hurting from how much he was smiling.

“But,” Geoff said and Gavin frowned. “But, there are still more people coming for an interview and I have to be fair to them.”

Gavin pouted, but nodded.

“But Michael's high up on the list, right?” Ray asked.

Geoff nodded. “I can say he's around there.”

“He better stay up there,” Gavin said with a smile.

“Yeah, well, back to work.” Geoff returned to his seat while everyone turned their attentions back to their screens.

Gavin was about to sit down when he suddenly thought of an idea. “Oh, bollocks!” He almost knocked over his chair as he made his way towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Jack asked as he turned in his chair.

“I have to get Michael before he leaves to talk to him about, uh, stuff,” Gavin mumbled the last part as he ran out the door.

Geoff took off his headphones and asked, “What did he say?”

“That he has to get Michael before he leaves to talk him about, uh, stuff,” Ryan mimicked almost perfectly that Jack and Ray started laughing.

“Michael!” Gavin called out as he made it outside.

Michael was about to get into his car when he heard Gavin, and he smiled at... his _soulmate_. The thought made his stomach feel funny and he hoped it was a good thing. “Hey,” he said softly.

Gavin stopped running once he made it to Michael's side. “Good job. Geoff told us.”

Michael's eyes widened softly. “Uh, hmm,” he cleared his throat, “what did he say, exactly?” He smiled nervously.

Gavin couldn't resist laughing a bit. “All good things.”

Michael's smile shifted to a happier, more relaxed, one. _Say something, you fuck. If he's seriously your soulmate, then... don't fucking ruin this! You only get one... right? Yeah, you do. I'm sure you do. So don't lose him._ Michael tilted his head to the side a little to study Gavin's expression. _He seems like a nice enough guy, kind of stupid, or maybe it's just that big smile on his god damn face. Why is he smiling so much?_ Then Michael rolled his eyes. _Uh, probably because he's talking to his fucking soulmate and that's kind of a really big deal, dumbass._

“Are you alright?” Gavin asked.

Michael snapped out of his thoughts and blinked. “Uh, yeah, of course.”

So Gavin smiled again and Michael immediately smiled back.

_I could actually get used to that fucking smile if he keeps it up,_ Michael shook his head and looked at his car. “I gotta get going. I got shit to do and...” he trailed off.

Gavin nodded and stepped back. “May I have your number?” He was never this forward, but he also felt really excited about this whole thing and didn't know what else to say or do, almost feeling like he would never see Michael again. That wouldn't be true, because even if Michael didn't get the job, Gavin could always have Ray to help him out with seeing Michael. 

Michael hesitated. Okay, yes he understood they were soulmates, but wow, this was all different to him. No one ever just asked for his number before. He sighed and nodded. Gavin took out his phone and was about to hand it to Michael when he saw Michael uncapping a marker.

“Let's do this the old fashioned way,” Michael said as he grabbed Gavin's wrist and pulled him forward.

Gavin held his breath, but relaxed when he saw Michael scribbling down the number on his arm. It kind of tickled and Gavin tried not laughing or moving because of it, so he bit down on his lower lip. 

“Text me or whatever the fuck you wanna do,” Michael said as he was done, placing the cap back on the marker.

Gavin grinned as he looked at the number now written on his forearm. 

“Well, alright,” Michael said, “I'm gonna go now. Uh, I'll talk to you later?”

“Definitely,” Gavin told him.

Michael furrowed his eyebrows, but smiled quickly after. “Okay.” He got into his car and closed the door. 

Gavin stepped aside and watched as Michael pulled out. Michael waved at him before driving off and out of the parking lot as Gavin remained standing there. He looked down at the number again and took a deep breath. 

It was really happening, and Gavin almost couldn't believe it. After so long waiting, it was actually happening. 

 

 

 


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to write something cute between Gavin and Michael and also show a little more about how amazed they are by color lol!! so that's what this chapter is about

Michael was just about asleep from attempting to watch some movie he found when he was flipping through channels. He wasn't at all interested in its plot, but by the colors. Since the morning, Michael had been staring intently at everything, study its colors, and how everything matched together, and what didn't match together. He would find himself driving slowly as he admired the buildings on his way to the grocery store. And at the grocery store, he was amazed with how green most vegetables were, but then how colorful others could be, including fruits. He really didn't think apples could be so red. As a kid, when he thought of color, it was all too confusing to him. People couldn't ever exactly _explain_ it to him, or to any kid about how a color looked. They couldn't say “Well, blue is the color of the sky.” because the kids wouldn't know what color the sky was. All they saw was a gray sky with white clouds, so every example was useless.

It was why Michael took his time looking over everything. To people around him, it was obvious he had just found his soulmate from the way his eyebrows would raise at the sight of something with a unique color to it.

And once he got home after examining practically everything in the store, Michael turned on the TV so he could watch it in color, for the first time in his life. He would be lying if he said watching TV or playing video games in color wasn't something he was most excited about. Because it was pretty damn exciting, until it finally wasn't, because he was falling asleep due to the excitement wearing him out all day.

He was just about to completely drift into a dream when his phone rang. Groaning, Michael grabbed his phone off the coffee table, not bothering to open his eyes to see who was calling, because he figured it was Ray.

“What the fuck do you want?” Michael practically mumbled out.

Gavin's eyes widened a bit. That wasn't the response he was expecting. “Did I interrupt something?”

Michael opened his eyes a bit. That wasn't Ray's voice. That voice had an accent, a British one.

“Gavin,” Michael mouthed as he quickly sat up, eyes wide now. “Oh, hey, Gavin! Yeah, no. You didn't interrupt anything. I was just watching TV.” He shook his head. “Sorry about that. I thought you were Ray.” He ran his fingers through his curly locks, feeling a bit dumb.

Gavin laughed softly and Michael felt his stomach warm up.

“You answer Ray like that?” Gavin asked.

Michael shrugged. “Yeah, because he's Ray. Who gives a fuck, you know what I mean?”

Gavin just laughed, harder than before, at that.

Michael smiled. Hey, just like Gavin's smile, Michael could get used to that laugh. “So, what's up?”

The blond sighed as he lied back on his bed and stared up at his ceiling. “Oh, well you told me to text you or whatever the fuck I wanted to do,” he eyed the number still written on his forearm, “and I decided on calling.”

Michael rolled his eyes at the fact that Gavin basically repeated every single word he had said to him earlier. “Right.”

“I just got home from work,” Gavin said. “There were around ten others interviewed after you.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “So, what do you think? Do I even have a chance?”

Gavin smiled. “I have no doubts.”

Michael mentally cheered. “Well, that's relaxing to hear.”

Gavin agreed, then looked over at his window. “You said you were watching TV. Are you fascinated by how much color-”

“Every fucking channel has?” Michael finished for him, “Fuck yeah! Black and white was the most boring shit ever. I'm so sick of it.” His eyebrows furrowed. “But did you know there are actual black and white movies and shows? Like it doesn't matter whether you can see colors or not because that's just how they are. I mean, I get why back then they had to have black and white, but you won't fucking see me watching any of those anytime soon. I'm done with the gray.”

Gavin was smiling the entire time Michael talked and all he could think was that Ray was right when he said Michael was definitely a different kind of person. He was different in the way he wasn't this absolute sweetheart, yet, at the same time, he was. Gavin couldn't make too much judgments though, since they had only officially met today, but still, he could already tell.

They talked on about how Michael got into Rooster Teeth. Michael explained that he always thought Red Vs. Blue was great, and when Ray started working there, he got to learn more. He explained how it was weird that he had never seen or heard of Gavin, and Gavin wasn't surprised because it was only recently that he got into more of the Let's Plays and videos instead of staying behind the scenes all the time. Their conversation kept going until Michael found himself getting comfortable on the couch again.

“Yeah,” Michael yawned, “it would be a dream come true to work there.”

“It really would be,” Gavin told him, “I've had the time of my life working there.”

Michael smiled lazily and nodded. “Yeah, I want to feel that way, too,” he was mumbling completely at this point that Gavin had to hold back his laughter.

“Go to sleep, Michael,” Gavin cooed that it made Michael feel more relaxed.

“Sleep? What? No, I'm-” Michael yawned again, “I'm sleepy.”

“I know. I'm hanging up now, to let you sleep.” The corners of Gavin's lips rose. “Goodnight, Michael. It was great meeting you.”

Michael rubbed his tired eyes and nodded. “Great meeting you too.” With a small smile, Michael tossed his phone aside and Gavin hung up.

He used what little energy he could manage to get himself to his bedroom and onto his bed.

Growing up, Michael always found the idea of a soulmate gross, but Gavin, well Gavin was something. He was definitely something completely different than what Michael expected his soulmate to be. Was it better? Michael couldn't tell too much yet, but he had a feeling Gavin was better than his expectations.

Gavin lied his phone down next to him and looked forward. Some of his clothes that he had folded up caught his attention and he got up and walked over to them for further inspection. His smile grew as he saw the many colors in clothes he owned. Most of them were shirts from the company, and Gavin was amazed by each of them. He knew what colors they were before, because Geoff, or someone else would tell him, but actually _seeing_ it was amazing. It was almost as if they were new shirts all over again, such as everything else felt around him – like he was seeing them for the first time even though he's looked at these same things everyday since he moved into the Ramsey house.

It was beautiful, though, to see them all from a new perspective – a more colorful one. Gavin grinned as he began looking around his room.

“Gavin,” Geoff said as he walked in.

Gavin looked away from his stack of video games and smiled at Geoff. “Hi, Geoff.”

Geoff laughed a bit. “Yeah, I remember the day I met Griffon. I couldn't stop looking everywhere. I was like a fucking child at Disney World.”

Gavin laughed now as well and set the game he had in his hands down. “It's incredible!”

Geoff nodded as he crossed his arms. Gavin's focus went to Geoff's tattoos. They looked even better now that he could actually appreciate their many colors and how they all fit together.

“Yeah, can't disagree with that,” Geoff said, “And how's Michael? You said you were going to call him?”

Gavin sighed as he turned away and lied back down on his bed. Geoff shook his head and took a seat on the edge of Gavin's bed.

“I think he's adorable,” Gavin told Geoff.

Geoff smiled at him. “The more I thought back to my interview with him, the more I realized how fucking hilarious he actually is. I found myself laughing at random shit we talked about.” He was practically grinning now, seeming like he wanted to laugh now from mentioning it.

“Does that mean he has the job?” Gavin asked in a hopeful tone that made his eyes light up.

Geoff sighed and patted Gavin's thigh. “I have to talk to Burnie about each interviewer tomorrow. We're both making the decision tomorrow.”

“I'm rooting for Michael.”

“I know you are,” Geoff smiled at him, then sighed. “Anyway, I just came by to tell you that dinner's ready,” he said as he started to leave.

As if on cue, Gavin's stomach growled, and he smiled as he followed Geoff out.

 


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took me long to update!! and sorry the chapters are pretty short !! this is not supposed to be a super long fic, so that's mainly why. the chapters might get longer later, though :)

Michael grinned as he sat at his desk – _his_ desk, in the Achievement Hunter office. He was actually there again, and this time, he was there to work. He couldn't believe it when he saw Geoff calling him to tell him he got the job.

“No fucking way!” Michael had reacted, and Geoff just laughed at his reaction.

“Yeah, you'll start Monday,” Geoff told him before hanging up.

Michael didn't even know how to respond after that, but he did manage to say something around lines of “Uh huh, uh huh,” in a bit of a over-excited voice. And he was nodding frantically despite the fact that Geoff couldn't see him. Geoff had been the one to hang up, and Michael allowed himself to do a victory cheer in the privacy of his apartment.

And now here he was, ready to start recording his first video with the other Achievement Hunters. Gavin sat next to him on his right, which was both a good and bad thing. It was good because hey, this way he could get to know the blond even better. It was bad, though, because Michael didn't want Gavin to be a distraction. He knew they could both be professional, but Gavin was almost hard not to look at.

Michael put his headphones on and felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked at Gavin, who smiled at him, so Michael smiled back.

“Alright,” Geoff spoke up, getting each of their attentions. “Everyone ready?”

“Yep,” Ryan answered.

Michael glanced at Gavin again before forcing himself to pay more attention to his screen.

“Lovebirds,” Ray mumbled, not looking at anyone as he said it, but Michael knew it was directed to him and Gavin.

Michael glared at Ray, but Ray only smiled, still not making eye contact with him.

As they began to play together, Michael felt himself get really into it. He laughed and joked around with everyone as if he had known them all (besides Ray) for years. He felt comfortable being there, because he felt like he actually fit in. The previous jobs he'd have, there were just that – just jobs.

Working at Rooster Teeth, it didn't feel like a job.

It was as though he was merely hanging out with some friends while playing some video games and talking about the most random shit that came to mind, which happened to be a lot. One moment their conversations would consist of some story of something happening to someone, and the next, they'll be singing some song together.

Yeah, it was the actual dream job.

“Fuck off, Ray!!” Michael shouted as Ray ran up behind Michael's character and killed him for the second time.

Gavin couldn't help but laugh.

“I couldn't risk you winning, Michael,” Ray said.

Michael groaned and shook his head. “Watch me still win.”

“Watch me still kill you.”

“Ten more minutes,” Geoff announced.

“Fuck,” Michael muttered under his breath.

“Yeah, I'm gonna need you to reset the timer,” Ryan said, “Michael and I are very close to winning and I need to make sure that I beat him. Ten minutes is not enough.”

Jack laughed at that. “So you want Geoff to give you extra time to win?”

“Yes.”

Michael furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Ryan. “No, you're not getting any fucking special treatment.”

“I think it's only fair that we get extra time so that _I_ can catch up,” Gavin told them.

“Gavin, you're hopeless at this point,” Michael told him, and Gavin frowned for a moment until Michael winked at him, and the Brit was reduced to squealing before he laughed. 

“That sounded like Gavin was about to explode,” Jack commented. 

Gavin sighed and smiled at Michael. “I have something to ask you,” he mouthed.

But Michael couldn't quite read his lips. “What?” He asked in a whispered tone.

Gavin tried again, “I have something to ask you.”

Michael blinked, trying to see if maybe he understood, but he didn't. He shook his head, “I don't know what the fuck you're saying.” 

“I said,” Gavin whispered, “I have something to ask-”

“And Ryan wins!” Geoff cheered as Ryan shouted out a loud and proud “Yes!”

Michael's eyes widened as he turned back to his screen to find that yes, Ryan had indeed passed him. “No!” He angrily shouted. “What the fuck! I was so close!”

“Too bad you were too distracted with Gavin,” Ray teased. 

Michael put his controller down and huffed. “Next time, Ryan. I'll get you.”

Ryan grinned and shrugged. “Yeah, we'll see.”

“Let's stop,” Geoff said, and everyone stopped their recordings. “Good job, guys. I think that was a success.”

“No, it wasn't,” Michael said, “I fucking lost and I have no idea what the fuck Gavin was trying to say.” He looked at the blond and crossed his arms. “Now tell me like a normal person.”

Gavin threw his hands up. “I was trying to be secretive.”

“Why?”

Gavin shrugged. “For fun?”

Michael rolled his eyes. 

“Okay,” Gavin laughed. “I only said that I have something to ask you.”

“That's it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, what is it? What do you need to ask me?”

Gavin smiled shyly as he looked down at his feet, and Michael's expression softened at how adorable Gavin was being. But he was curious about what Gavin wanted to ask.

“Oh my god, Gavin!” Michael sounded almost whiny, though he hadn't meant to. “Ask me already!”

Geoff and Jack laughed as they passed by them on their way out of the office. 

“Come on, Gav,” Ray said, “the suspense is killing us.”

Michael looked at Ray with a raised eyebrow. “ _Us_ ?” He squinted his eyes. “Since when does this involve you and Ryan?” He turned to face Ryan.

Ryan looked up from his screen and put his hands up in defense. “I didn't say anything.”

Ray sighed, “Okay. The suspense is killing  _me_ . So, Gavin, say it already.”

Michael gasped. “You know  _exactly_ what he wants to ask me, don't you?” He asked Ray. 

Ray smiled slyly at Michael, but he shrugged. “I mean,  _don't_ you?”

“What- what are you talking about?” Michael turned to look at Gavin again who was now grinning at him. 

“Michael,” Gavin started.

Michael licked his lips and asked, “Yeah?” though his heart was beginning to beat faster, because he did have a feeling of what he was about to be asked. He would be lying if he said he wasn't excited. 

“Will you go on a date with me?” Gavin sounded so confident, so genuinely happy, and his smile showed it as well, which only made Michael warm up inside.

_God damn that smile,_ Michael thought to himself before he opened his mouth to say, “Yeah, I mean,” he shrugged, “You are my fucking soulmate, so I guess, I might as well.”

Gavin tilted his head a bit, his eyebrows squeezed together, but his smile still on his face. “Oh, so that's the only reason you're saying 'yes'?”

Michael scoffed. “Yeah. I mean, it's not like you're cute or anything...” And though Michael tried keeping the serious look upon his face, he couldn't, because he felt giddy as can be inside. 

Ray playfully shoved Michael a bit as he walked by as he too exited the room, quickly followed by Ryan, since they both decided to give Michael and Gavin privacy with this moment. 

Gavin bit down on his lower lip. “You aren't very good looking yourself,” he smirked.

Michael raised his eyebrows. “Well, you're fucking annoying.”

Gavin scooted his chair closer to Michael. “I don't even know how I got so unlucky with getting stuck with a soulmate like you.”

Michael snickered and scooted closer as well. “Oh yeah? Well think about how  _I_ feel.”

“Bloody proud,” Gavin said, “because you get to have me.” 

Michael looked away and laughed. “You're a piece of shit, Gavin.”

Gavin laughed as well. “Aw, come on. I was liking what we had going on just now.”

Michael nodded before facing him again. “Yeah, I bet you did.”

“So, yes?” Gavin smirked again.

This time, Michael smiled softly at Gavin and said, “Yes.”

Gavin's smirk turned into a grin and he turned around with his chair to quietly cheer to himself, knowing full well Michael knew what he was doing, but that was the point.

Michael shook his head and looked at his screen. “Now leave me alone,” he said, “I got shit to do.”

“As you wish,” Gavin said as he stood up and left the room, and Michael remained sitting there, trying so hard, but failing so miserably at smiling less. 

 


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo!! Finally got it updated! Alright well, I knew from the beginning that this fic wouldn't be extremely long. Actually, I have just two more chapters planned !! Yeah, it's a short one, but it was intended to be.

Michael never thought anything could be so simple, but falling in love with Gavin proved otherwise. It wasn't hard to say that Gavin was different from anyone else Michael had ever met. Gavin wasn't always in a great mood. He wasn't always this extremely happy person, but he could be, and anytime he was and Michael wasn't, well, it would annoy the hell out of Michael at first, but then Gavin would just smile at him and any anger Michael had would leave. Gavin was good at being serious when it counted too, though. There would also be times where he and Michael would literally get into arguments over the smallest things because of their different views on certain things.

The arguments would always end up with Michael storming out of the Achievement Hunter office with the other Achievement Hunters exchanging looks with each other. And Gavin would sit in his desk, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. He would mumble something about how difficult Michael could be sometimes, and Ray would tell him, “Yeah, but that's how Michael is. You can't blame someone for being themselves. Besides, you were being an ass.”

So Gavin would end up sighing and going after Michael.

There would be more exchange of harsh words between the two in the break room, making anyone else who was in there feel awkward and unknowing of whether they should leave or not. But then Gavin would start laughing, only pissing off Michael further.

“What the fuck are you laughing about?” Michael would ask. “This isn't funny! What's funny?!”

“Oh, nothing,” Gavin always said as he shook his head.

“Then why were you...” Michael would take a deep breath and smile softly at Gavin. “You're a fucking idiot,” he would mumble.

And Gavin would cup Michael's face and kiss him, just as he did after their first date, which was exactly what had caused Michael's feeling for Gavin to heighten.

 _On_ their first date, Gavin had actually surprised Michael with showing up earlier than Michael expected. They had agreed on Friday night at seven, but Gavin was at Michael's doorstep by six-thirty.

“Couldn't wait another thirty minutes, could you?” Michael asked, a smirk on his face, clearly amused by Gavin's early arrival.

“No,” Gavin said, though he smiled innocently, “Geoff told me couldn't drop me off any later than right now because he has things to do-”

“Oh, right, I'm _sure_ ,” Michael sarcastically said as he nodded.

“It's the truth.”

Whether it was or not was none of Michael's concern. He was ready for the date already anyways, so he headed back into the living room to grab his car keys before walking out.

“You know, on dates, usually the one that asks is supposed to do the driving and shit,” Michael told Gavin as he locked his front door.

Gavin stepped back to give Michael room. “I can't drive.”

“I know,” Michael said as he wiggled the doorknob to make sure it was locked. “So, where am I taking us, then?” He turned around to fully face the Brit.

“Who says we have to go anywhere?” Gavin asked with a sly grin.

Michael stared at Gavin with a dull expression. “It's our first date, Gavin,” he said, “You don't get to see the inside of my apartment yet.”

“But there is a possibility I will see it some day, right?” Gavin asked.

_This fucking cheeky bastard,_ Michael almost rolled his eyes. Instead, he grabbed Gavin's wrist and started dragging the blond with him. 

“Come on,” he said, “Let's go watch a movie or something.”

Although Gavin was a little embarrassed that he didn't have an exact date planned out, he felt this could be better; just the two of them going about whatever they could find. 

The movie they ended up catching was one of those horribly cheesy horror movies that were “home videos”, so the camera was constantly shaking and Michael had to look away at one point because it was giving him a headache. Gavin seemed to be falling asleep halfway through it. He wasn't paying any more attention to the movie that when one of the “jumpscares” happened, Gavin actually did jump from being caught off guard. Michael looked at him and laughed. Gavin felt a rush of heat on his face and ears, but the sound of Michael's laugh made him smile. 

If making a bit of a fool out of himself made Michael laugh, then Gavin figured it wasn't so bad. 

After the movie, Michael and Gavin decided that popcorn and candy wasn't enough to satisfy their stomachs, and therefore, they went to a fast food joint for dinner. 

“Mm, hamburgers and fries,” Michael commented as he and Gavin sat down at a booth with their food. “Fucking romantic.”

“Hey, you chose this place,” Gavin reminded him.

Michael smiled and nodded. “Yeah, and I mean it. It's romantic.”

They ate their food in almost silence, but there wasn't any uncomfortable about it. When they were close to finishing, Gavin started talking about how much he really did enjoy Michael's company. Michael just stared at him as he talked on and on about that.

But after some time, he spoke up and said, “You know, you don't have to kiss up to me.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what Michael meant. “I'm not doing anything of the sort,” he said. 

Michael laughed. “Yeah, you are, you dumbass. It's fine, Gavin. You have me already.”

“I do?” 

Michael took a sip of his drink and nodded. “I'll be honest with you. Completely honest.”

“Go on.”

“If soulmates didn't exist and we were born with the ability to see color already, I think I would have still said 'yes' to a date with you.”

The corners of Gavin's lips twitched up into a crooked smile. 

“Who says I'd still ask?” He teased.

Michael furrowed his eyebrows. “Oh, you would have.”

“How can you be so sure?” It was that little attitude, that way that Gavin played around with him that made Michael's heart flutter. 

But Michael wasn't going to let Gavin know that. So he sat up and said, “Because look at me,” he pointed to his face as he smiled softly.

Gavin bit down on his lower lip a little as he examined the features on Michael's face. The blond had to admit to himself that yes, he definitely would have still asked Michael on a date. It probably would have taken more courage, though, but he definitely would have, because Michael... well, he was beautiful. 

“Maybe,” he continued to tease. 

Michael rolled his eyes but nodded. “Fair enough,” he said, and they finished the rest of their food. 

Michael drove Gavin home after that since it was nearing eleven. They had actually stayed at the fast food place after finishing their food just to talk and hang out. Around them, people would leave, people would come, but they stayed until they realized what time it was. 

As they arrived at the Ramsey household, Michael turned off his car and Gavin looked at him, wondering why Michael had done that.

“What?” Michael asked, noticing the confusion on Gavin's face. “A guy can't walk his date to the door?”

And Gavin grinned as he understood. They both got out of the car and Gavin waited until Michael was by his side until he started heading to the front door. 

“One day I'll learn how to drive and I'll be the one taking you places,” Gavin told him once they reached the front step. 

Michael smirked and nodded. “Hmm, can't wait.”

“It probably wasn't the best date to you, but I had fun.”

“I actually had fun, too. You're... well...” Michael looked down as he tried to search for the right words, and once the words came to him, he smiled at Gavin and said, “I'm glad it's you, Gavin.”

“Yeah?” Gavin asked, that sly grin appearing on his face again. 

Michael narrowed his eyes. “Don't make me take that back already.”

Gavin laughed, “Okay, okay.”

And then they just stood there in silence, not really even looking at each other but listening the calming sounds of the night. Michael sighed after a moment and patted Gavin's arm. 

“Alright, so goodnight, Gavin,” he started to say as he took a step back, “I'll call you later? Or something?”

Gavin nodded so Michael turned around and tried heading to his car, but Gavin grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Michael stumbled a little. He turned around and opened his mouth to ask Gavin why he had done that, but his question was answered as the blond grabbed his face and their lips met. 

Michael had been kissed before – plenty of times. Just because they lived in a world where they were destined to be with a certain someone didn't mean they couldn't date or kiss someone else. Of course it would feel pretty pointless, but people were allowed to have fun and enjoy their time with anyone they wanted to be with. 

But Michael had never been kissed like the way Gavin had kissed him that night, or the way Gavin kissed him every day after that. 

It was gentle, comforting, and... a bit scratchy, but it was nice. It was much more than nice. There was just something about the way Gavin would hold him, as if he didn't want to risk Michael getting away somehow – as if he just couldn't bare the thought of losing Michael. And that only made the kiss even better, because Michael felt needed, wanted, and he loved feeling that way.

He liked how it seemed like every little butterfly in his stomach suddenly exploded into millions of more and how his heart raced with Gavin's touch. 

Michael even liked how he felt disappointed when the kiss was over. He wanted more, but he knew how to be patient for the next time he got to experience that eruption of feelings again. 

But no matter how many times they went out, or how many times they kissed, it never changed. It always felt like the first time, but sometimes, better. 

So even if they would get under each other's skins, even if Gavin sometimes made no sense that it frustrated Michael to no end, or if Michael said the wrong that really pushed Gavin the wrong way, it wasn't really possible to stay mad at each other. They would either talk it out, shrug it off, or just slowly fade out of feeling angry with one another and things would go on as if nothing happened. 

They weren't completely mushy with each other, though. It wasn't like they were pining for each other every moment and trying to find alone time. They weren't that kind of couple. Of course they enjoyed showing each other affection, but that was only during random times of the day, or just all at the end of the day where they would go their separate ways to their own homes. Other than that, they would merely act as best friends who had known each other for years. 

But even so, everyone at the office would pretend to be sick of them and poke fun at the two for being so “in love”. 

Michael and Gavin couldn't blame them, though, since they too could barely stand how much they adored each other.

 


	6. Six

Michael smiled at the sight of a sleeping Gavin next to him. Gavin’s stomach was slowly moving up and down with his gentle breathing, which was odd because Michael thought Gavin would be loud in his sleep – with snoring, inhaling obnoxiously loudly, or talking in his sleep. Perhaps Gavin did talk in his sleep and Michael probably was just able to sleep through it, which was sort of shame. Michael would have loved to hear what Gavin had to say while in his little dreamland.

Michael gently caressed Gavin's cheek, feeling the small stubble (since Gavin had recently shaved) on the back of his fingers. Gavin's lips were parted, but he inhaled deeply and closed his mouth at Michael's touch, yet he remained asleep. Michael laughed softly at that.

Somewhere between their practically vicious gaming (more of the vicious coming from Michael) and stuffing their faces with chicken wings the night before, the boys had dozed off. Around one in the morning, Michael had woken up to their game's 'game over' screen and Gavin curled up against him. Michael slowly got up from the couch and turned off his console and TV before gently picking up the Brit off the couch.

“Looks like you're staying in my bed tonight,” Michael whispered, though he knew Gavin couldn't hear him since he was out cold.

Michael lied Gavin down on his bed before slowly crawling in as well. He gave Gavin his space and stayed on one side of the bed as he fell back asleep.

But now the sun was up – had the been up – and Gavin was still deep in his sleep. Michael wanted to scare him awake, but how peaceful the blond looked, Michael just didn't have the heart to ruin that. He stayed there, not really watching Gavin sleep, but rather, thinking over everything that had happened.

It had been five months since everything started – since Michael and Gavin met, since they began to see in color.

It's been five months since they fell in love.

Five months of what Michael could call 'absolute insanity'. He never thought it could be possible to feel so safe, so relaxed, and so infatuated by anyone. Well, really, he just never believed he could be good enough to be loved, but he wasn't going to complain.

The passed five months have been the happiest Michael's ever been. He never recalled a time in his life that he had never been able to stop smiling over the smallest things. He supposed maybe once during his fourth birthday when his father had rented a bounce house for him and his friends at his party. Michael couldn't remember too much about that party now, but he could recall the excitement he had felt when he walked out to the backyard and saw the bounce house in the middle of the yard. It was a giant compared to Michael, and he stared up at it in awe. Even with no way of being able to see its color, it was still the most amazing thing Michael had ever seen. He glanced around a moment to also notice the balloons and streamers decorating the fence and trees, but his main focus was the _beauty_ in front of him.

He remembered his father picking him up and placing him on his shoulders. Michael remembered holding onto to his father's head even though he knew he wouldn't fall.

“Do you like it?” Mr. Jones had asked him.

Michael, in his four year old glory, practically squealed as he nodded. “Yeah, it's perfect! I can't wait for my friends to see!”

“They should be over here in a few hours,” Mr. Jones said as he put Michael back down. “So why don't you go on upstairs and get ready?”

Michael smiled wide and nodded, his hands clasped together and up to his chin.

“That's my boy,” his father ruffled his hair and Michael took off running back into the house, feeling like he couldn't get to his bedroom fast enough.

The rest of that day was pretty hazy for Michael, but that didn't matter, because the most important part was the part he couldn't forget.

But that was the last time Michael knew of that he felt true joy.

Until now.

Michael and Gavin ended up, without discussing, a schedule; a routine of sorts. They would go over to Michael's after work, but they would never say which day exactly. It would just... happen. It wasn't every single day, but it did frequently happen. Usually, they'd play some video games, maybe watch some movies, or find some TV shows to make fun of. On days where they were both just _exhausted_ , they would merely sit on Michael's couch; their fingers laced together. The TV would be on, but Michael and Gavin would hardly pay any attention to it, and instead, spend that time playing with each other's fingers until Gavin was at the peak of falling asleep. Michael would drive him home, kiss him goodnight, and that would be that for the day.

But of course, this particular Friday night had gone differently. Gavin and Michael had both fallen asleep and Gavin had officially stayed over for the first time.

The Brit stirred a bit before slowly opening his eyes and Michael had never been so thankful before that he could see color, because the way those eyes looked was incredible. Michael smirked at Gavin before leaning in and placing a chaste kiss on Gavin's lips.

“I've never shared my bed with anyone before,” Michael admitted.

Gavin raised an eyebrow as he slowly sat up a little. “I'm the first?”

“You're the first of many,” Michael reminded him, “so this is no surprise at all.”

Gavin wrapped his arms around Michael in a sort of awkward manner, but Michael said nothing as Gavin pulled him in closer to him.

“What are you doing?” Michael had to ask.

“I want more sleep,” Gavin mumbled as he nuzzled Michael's hair.

Michael huffed and pulled himself away, receiving a groan from Gavin in response.

“It's Saturday morning,” Gavin complained, “why on bloody earth do we have to get up now?”

“It's almost ten,” Michael answered, looking over his shoulder at his digital clock to confirm his statement.

Gavin shrugged, but he smiled as he leaned closer to Michael. “No harm in staying in bed until noon,” he said.

“I promised myself I'd get shit done today,” Michael said.

“You'll get your shit done,” Gavin assured him, “Right after we do this,” he said just as he captured Michael's lips with his own.

Michael grabbed hold of Gavin's face as they kissed. There was no way he was actually going to stay in bed until noon, but... maybe a few more minutes wouldn't hurt.

Or maybe even half an hour.

* * *

 

After finally managing to get out of bed and finally getting a shower, Michael drove Gavin home before heading to the bank to withdrawal some money he would need later for groceries. He had a dentist appointment for a check up, but luckily for him, it only last around half an hour – fifteen minutes in the waiting room, five minutes inside the room waiting for the dentist, and ten minutes for his cleaning. He hated anything the dentist had to do, even if it was just a check up and a cleaning. It was _being_ there that he disliked, but that was the same with any doctor. And really, he wouldn't bother going at all for any check ups if it wasn't for the fact that he did care about his health and teeth. Unlike Gavin who apparently would only go if something didn't feel right.

“Which is probably why I'll end up living longer than you, Gavin,” Michael joked around with him one day at work when Gavin first told him that.

Gavin only pouted at him in response and Michael laughed.

After Michael's dentist appointment, Ray texted him and asked him to join him for lunch, which Michael gladly accepted, and they met up at Home Slice just passed noon.

“How was walking?” Michael asked as he got out of his car.

Ray smiled at him and shook his head. Michael made sure to lock his car before jogging over to Ray.

“I told you I could have picked you up,” Michael told him as they got in line.

“Well I decided to face my fears and take a walk for once,” Ray joked.

Michael laughed at that.

“It's a miracle, ain't it?” Michael winked at him.

“You have no idea the struggle it was to convince myself to just get up and leave my apartment,” Ray said, sounding just as dramatic as he acting by rubbing his face.

Michael decided to play along by patting Ray's back and saying in a soothing voice, “There, there. It's over now.” But that didn't last long because they were both laughing right after that.

They ordered their food and went to sit down as they waited for it. Ray was taking a sip of his drink, thinking about something he would have to finish at work on Monday when he noticed Michael's leg shaking a little too much.

“Anxious?” He asked.

Michael looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Dude, your leg,” Ray said as he pointed at Michael's shaking leg, “Stop it. You're making me nervous.”

Michael squinted his eyes. “Am I not allowed?”

“You are. It's just that usually when you do that, something's on your mind. Something big.” Ray paused after saying that and a smirk formed on his face.

It took Michael a moment to realize what Ray was thinking and he huffed.

“I'm kidding,” Ray then told him, holding back a laugh. “But I am serious about you always doing that when something's going on. So what's up?”

Michael chewed on his lower lip, because apart of him wanted to make up some lie; say that the dentist found something wrong with his teeth or something, but he couldn't. He merely sighed and smiled.

This wasn't anything terrible. It wasn't bad news at all.

It was something that he had been thinking about for a few weeks now, but he only recently got himself really excited about the idea, especially after last night.

But he wasn't sure how to go about saying it out loud. This would be the first time he would be doing so.

“Okay, well...” Michael pursed his lips as he thought about how to word it, “Gavin fell asleep last night and I was too tired to drive him home,” he started, but his pause made Ray furrow his eyebrows.

“And?” Ray asked.

Michael laughed nervously and scratched his head. “I've been thinking about asking Gavin to move in with me, and fuck... him staying over last night pretty much convinced me that I should.” He shrugged before continuing on and saying, “It was nice waking up and him being the first thing I saw.”

Ray snorted and shook his head. “I've never heard anything more cheesy,” he teased, but his smile showed Michael that he was very much supportive of the idea. Ray leaned forward and asked, “So how are you gonna ask him?”

“I thought about not making it too much of a big deal,” Michael said, “because it's not like I'm proposing to him, but... moving in together is a huge step in a relationship, right? Shit. I don't know. This is my first serious relationship, obviously.”

“Definitely don't make it _too_ big of a deal,” Ray told him, “or else Gavin _will_ think you are proposing.”

Michael grinned and nodded. “So, what should I do?”

Ray rubbed his chin as he started to think of a plan for Michael. Michael waited as he simply stared at Ray's face, trying to figure out what his best friend could possibly be coming up with. It didn't take long for the corners of Ray's lips to rise, indicating that the plan was officially formed in his mind. And Michael, though he didn't know what exactly the plan was yet, couldn't help but smile back.

 


	7. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be weary, okay? There's a reason for that warning. So you can decide to read or stop now.

“He's not even going to fucking know what I'm trying to say,” Michael said to Ray over the phone. It was a few days after their lunch together, after they had discussed ways for Michael to ask Gavin to move in with him.

Ray didn't just one plan; he had a list of ideas for Michael to choose from, and Michael especially liked one of them in particular.

“Stop being negative and just have fun with it, okay?” Ray told him.

Michael huffed and stopped himself from pacing back and forth in his apartment. He forced himself to sit down on the couch and stay still.

The plan was pretty simple, at least to Michael it was, but it also creative, and he had Ray to thank for that. It consisted of note cards spread around the living room, kitchen, and bathroom, because those were the main places Gavin was sure to be in at some point during the night. Michael was going to hold one of the note cards, though, for Gavin to read last. It didn't matter which order he read the other cards as long as he read the one Michael had last. And if Gavin said 'yes', Michael would pull out the spare key to his apartment out of his pocket and hand it over to the blond.

Each card had a reason Michael loved Gavin written on them. Originally, Ray and Michael did discuss having each card with one word that, when put together, would end up reading, “Will you move in with me?” but then that meant Michael needed to make sure Gavin read them in order and that seemed like too much work.

This was easier. This didn't require skill or much thought.

Michael had no problem even coming up with the reasons to put on each card. He just sat down at his dining table that night after hanging out with Ray and got to writing, finishing up the pack in no time. And he was glad, and excited.

Now all that was left was inviting Gavin over without sounding suspicious of anything, and that was too simple. At work, he merely told Gavin to come over to have dinner with him. Michael would have liked it if Gavin would have just left work with him (considering Michael had already put the cards around his place the previous night), but Gavin had some videos to finish up before he could spend the evening at Michael's.

“Okay, just come over afterwards, alright?” Michael said to him as he headed out of the Achievement Hunter.

“Yeah, yeah,” Gavin nodded, “I'll have Geoff drop me off.”

“Okay, good. I'll see you later.” With that, Michael left and the first thing he did when he got home was call Ray since Ray had left work a bit earlier than everyone else.

“I really hope he doesn't think I'm trying to propose,” Michael said as he scratched the back of his head.

“See, that's why I told you not to be _too_ romantic in those cards,” Ray told him, “I told you to keep it simple, just say some nice things about him, and also mention how you like when he comes over.” 

“I did that,” Michael said with nod, although Ray couldn't see him nodding. 

“If you were proposing, you would have said things about the future, right?”

“Sure.”

“No, say 'right'.”

“Shut up.”

Ray laughed. “You can't hype this up to being something HUGE, otherwise, he  _will_ be expecting that ring.” Then he smirked, “This also means that if you ever do plan on purposing to him, you'll have to think bigger.”

“That'll be no problem,” Michael said as he let himself sink into his couch. 

The smell of the chicken in the oven made Michael's stomach rumble and he hoped Gavin was on his way there. With Gavin around, Michael wouldn't have to think too much about how hungry he was. He would be too distracted.

“I think I'm gonna call him and see where he's at,” he said, biting down on his lower lip anxiously.

“You're sounding too eager,” Ray teased.

“Shut up,” Michael rolled his eyes.

Ray smiled and shook his head. “Okay, call him. Let me know how this all goes in the end.”

“I will.”

“Good luck,” and Ray hung up after that.

Michael took a deep breath, sitting himself up and looking for Gavin's name on his phone. He smiled to himself before pressing the call button.

Gavin was just getting into the car with Geoff when his phone started ringing.

“Oh, that must be Michael,” Gavin said as he sat down in the passenger's seat.

“Tell him to relax,” Geoff grinned, “We're on our way.”

“Maybe not,” Gavin told Geoff, but he didn't answer Geoff's questioning look as he answered the phone call instead. “Hi, Michael!”

“Dude, are you coming over yet or what?” Michael tried sounding like his usual self, and he felt like he was convincing.

Gavin looked at Geoff and smiled crookedly. “Yeah, we're about to leave the office,” he told Michael.

“Okay, well, hurry. I think the chicken's about done and I'm starving.”

The blond laughed softly. “Okay, love. I'll try hurrying.”

_Love._ That never failed to make Michael smile so much that his cheeks hurt. He couldn't even say 'goodbye' or anything from how flustered he became, so he just hung up and rubbed his face. 

It hadn't been a car crash or anything of the sort. Gavin had told Geoff to stop at the market because he wanted to get flowers for Michael, saying Michael's apartment could use some.

Geoff nodded and waited in the car as Gavin quickly ran into the store. 

Gavin wasn't supposed to take long; five, ten minutes top, but when the wait in the car became way too drawn out, Geoff started to feel uneasy. He glanced at the entrance of the store, but every person that came out wasn't the Brit. 

Maybe there was a long line? Yeah, it had to be that, but then Geoff took a look around the parking lot. It was partly full, but not full enough that every line should be filled with people... unless the damn market only had one register open. 

Then Geoff realized he was just making excuses because Gavin was taking too long and he was nervous as to why. 

He was never one to look on the bad side of things, but he couldn't shake this bad feeling away, so he got out of his car and headed for the entrance. 

“Oh my god,” he heard a woman cry, and Geoff felt himself freeze. 

“Someone call 911!” a man shouted.

Somehow, maybe with the sudden adrenaline he was feeling, Geoff found the strength to run towards the cries. His heart was pounding in his chest and all he could think was, “Please don't be Gavin. Please don't be Gavin.”

He came to halt before he ran into a crowd of people gathered around in a circle. 

“What's going on?” He asked, but no one answered him. “Hey! What happened?!” He sounding demanding, and he hadn't meant to, but at this point, he couldn't be patient. 

With no one wanting to answer, Geoff groaned and pulled his through the crowd until he was at front, and he froze again. 

“O-oh... oh, god,” he choked out.

 

* * *

 

Michael was tapping his foot furiously and had his arms crossed. He found himself looking at the front door way too many times; kind of like a teenager in class who constantly kept watching the clock. 

Where was Gavin?

It had been twenty minutes since the phone call. 

Gavin should be there already. 

Michael had even turned off the oven already because the chicken was way passed done and ready to eat. And Gavin just needed to be there with him!

“Relax, Michael,” he told himself as he took a deep breath, “Maybe there's traffic.” He tried to stop his excitement from getting the best of him, but the more he thought of Gavin saying 'yes' only made him more impatient. 

“This is going to be fucking amazing,” Michael was practically bouncing in his seat now, but then his smile faded when he could have sworn for a moment that the color on his walls was fading. 

He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. Okay, he seriously needed to relax. This excitement was wearing him out apparently. 

But when he opened his eyes again, he jumped to see some spots on the walls black and white. Michael took off his glasses and wiped them, but when he put them back on, the spots only seemed to grow. 

“What the fuck...” he breathed out. 

And then it hit him.

“ _You can't see color anymore?” Michael asked softly._

_Mrs. Jones shook her head and sniffled. “No, sweetie. I can't.”_

“ _Why not?”_

_His mom sighed and sat down on the bed next to Michael. “You're born without the ability to see color. You only see black and white until you meet the one meant for you. They're the color of your life, and when that color dies out-” her eyes watered, “you're left with nothing but gray again.”_

Michael jumped to his feet as he felt his breathing increase. He looked down at his hands to find them trembling, and to also see the color fading away.

“N-no,” Michael shook his head, “No.” His vision was getting blurry as his eyes began to fill with tears.

But no.

It wasn't possible.

No, it couldn't be.

No.

Not Gavin.

The sound of his phone ringing caused Michael to scream out, but when he realized what it was, he sighed a bit and picked it up from the couch.

It was Geoff.

No...

“H-hello?” Michael didn't even try to make his voice sound less shaky than it was.

“Michael,” Geoff closed his eyes, not knowing how to even say this, “Michael, you have to come to the hospital right now.”

No...

A tear made its way down Michael's cheek and he shook his head again.

“No,” he whispered.

“Michael, I'm so sorry,” Geoff said, his voice sounding hoarse, “You have to come before it's too late.”

Michael dropped his phone and ran towards the front door. He grabbed his car keys off the hook and was out the door within seconds.

Driving in a panic wasn't the best thing to do, but Michael tried putting all his concentration onto the road. His vision was only getting worse – and so was the color. He ignored it, though. He just needed to get to the hospital in one piece. He needed to be told that Gavin was going to be fine, and everything would be fine.

They would reschedule what Michael had planned for another day, Michael would still be able to ask Gavin to move in, and everything would be okay.

Everything would go as they should.

Besides, Michael wasn't completely seeing total black and white, which meant Gavin was still breathing. So there was hope; Michael just had to hold onto it.

“Where is he?!” Michael shouted as he flew through the hospital doors.

Patients waiting around whipped their heads around to see who was shouting. Michael was struggling to hold in his tears at this point, and not only were his hands trembling – his knees were about to give up on him too.

“Where is he?!” He shouted again, looking around for Geoff.

Geoff quickly ran over to him, dropping the cup of water he had in his hands. He grabbed Michael by the shoulders and Michael could no longer hold in those tears.

“Where is he, Geoff?!” Michael cried as he grabbed his own hair in frustration. “Where is he?!”

“Michael, you need to calm down,” Geoff told him, but truthfully, he was freaking out almost as much as Michael was. But he needed to hold it together, for Michael's sake. “Michael, listen to me-”

“No,” Michael pushed Geoff away from and shook his head. “No! Tell me where he is, Geoff! Tell me he's okay!”

At that, Geoff blinked and his gaze moved down to the floor. Michael stared at the man, eyes wide and watery.

“I'm sorry, Michael,” Geoff said softly, still not able to look at him, “I wish I could tell you-”

“No,” Michael cried. He took a step back and covered his mouth. “What happened?” He managed to ask, but the words came out muffled and forced.

Geoff had to swallow the lump in his throat to prevent himself from breaking down as he started to explain, “We went to the market. Gavin wanted to get you something...” Michael turned away and Geoff went on, “He was taking too long to come back to the car, so I got out and went to look for him.” He couldn't bring himself to think back to how Gavin looked; lying on the sidewalk on his side, the bouquet of flowers clutched in his left hand and his other hand resting on near his neck as if he was attempting to stop the bleeding. Geoff shuddered but continued talking, “He had been stabbed... repeatedly,” he licked his lips and his heart ached at the sound of Michael beginning to sob, “The police said Gavin was pulled aside by this person and instead of just robbing Gavin of his money and leaving, they also...” but Geoff couldn't say anymore.

He didn't have to say anymore. When he looked at Michael again, well, he didn't think it was possible to ever feel so much over the sight of someone crying. But Michael wasn't just crying. His face was scrunched together and red, and there wasn't even any sound coming from anywhere from how hard he was crying.

“Michael!” Geoff caught Michael before Michael could fall to his knees, but slowly, he let them both get down on their knees. And Geoff wrapped his arms around Michael as Michael cried into his shoulder.

Michael inhaled sharply and the breath he let out was shaky than ever.

This couldn't be happening, though.

Gavin was fine... he was okay... he was safe. He had been on his way to Michael's.

They were going to have dinner together. Gavin was supposed to read those little cards and make a stupid comment about them, but Michael would have known that Gavin was melting inside because of the words written on each one.

 

_I love the way you look when you sleep. God damn, you always have your mouth wide open like you completely passed out after not having sleep for days. But you know what? It's probably the cutest fucking thing I've ever seen. - Michael._

 

“Where is he, Geoff?” Michael asked, his face buried in the crook of Geoff's neck.

Geoff squeezed Michael and sighed. “Come on, let's get up and I'll walk you to his room.”

Michael nodded and they pulled apart as they both got to their feet. Michael could barely move, though. He was afraid. He felt sick, especially with the more of the color around him fading.

His heart had never been beating so roughly before. He could barely hear anything Geoff was telling him. He couldn't even hear his own thoughts.

He felt dumb and destroyed.

He just wanted to close his eyes and wake up to find it was all a nightmare.

 

_The way you eat is so fucking weird. I don't even know if you eat like that on purpose because you think you're being funny or you actually chew like that. Either way, I love it. - Michael._

 

They made it to Gavin's room and Michael stopped walking as they stood outside the door.

“I-I can't,” Michael whispered as he shook his head, “No, I...” He looked at Geoff, his eyes desperate.

Geoff grabbed his wrist and sighed quietly. “You don't have to,” he whispered back.

 

_When you do those stupid squeaky sounds when you laugh, I really just wanna hit you and tell you to shut up. But I don't, because secretly, I think it's adorable. - Michael._

 

The love of his life was on the other side of that door, and... he... he wasn't going to make it. Gavin wasn't going to make it. It had already been told that he wasn't going to make it.

But that couldn't be possible. Gavin was stronger than this, Michael _knew_ he was. No. Gavin was going to be okay.

He was fucking going to be okay.

So Michael opened the door and stepped in, but he instantly regretted it when he saw Gavin lying there; eyes closed and lips parted. The color from his face seemed completely drained, but Michael couldn't tell if that was really the case, or it was just the fact that he was losing his ability to see color.

The heart monitor next to his bed beeped, making it be the only sound in the room.

He could have been saved, the doctor had told Geoff, but Gavin had bled too much from a torn artery the stab wound had caused. It was sort of a miracle that Gavin was still fighting, but the fight was almost over.

 

_Thank you for coming into my life. I'm not just saying that because you're what I needed to see color. I don't just need you for color. I don't shit about it anymore. Even if you weren't my soulmate, I think I still would have fallen in love with you. - Michael._

 

“No!” Michael screamed out in agony, and Geoff tried grabbing him to calm him down again, but Michael pulled away and ran to Gavin's side.

He grabbed Gavin's hand, feeling how cold it was aside from how warm it always felt, and he squeezed it. “Gavin, no!” He choked out, “No, y-you can't... NO! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU!” He stopped shouting to catch his breath from how badly he was crying again.

Geoff walked over to Michael and tried speaking to him, but Michael shook his head and continued to shout, “GAVIN! I NEED YOU! I C-CAN'T... I-”

“Michael!” Geoff placed his hands on Michael's shoulders, but Michael held Gavin's hand up to his face as he painfully, and quietly sobbed.

 

_You do know that when I tell you to shut the fuck up, I really mean, shut the fuck up? Just shut up and stop making me love you more. - Michael._

 

“Please,” Michael breathed out, but it sounded more like a wheeze, “Please don't go away.” He took another deep breath and began to place small kisses on Gavin's hand, but Geoff couldn't bare to look anymore.

He stepped away from Michael as he covered his mouth and finally let the tears he tried to pretend he didn't have fall from his eyes.

“I love you,” Michael whispered through his choked sob, “I love you. I love you, Gavin. I love you.” He sniffled and tried breathing normally, “You know that, right, babe? You know I love you?”

Michael knew Gavin couldn't respond, he knew Gavin would never be able to respond to him again. He knew they would never grow old together, they would never wake up to each other, or piss each other off when one of them didn't agree on something the other did. They would never play together again.

Michael would never yell at Gavin again for fucking him over in a game during a Let's Play.

He would never hear that squeaky laugh that was almost too obnoxious to be real.

He would never see that bright smile Gavin always wore.

He would never see those green eyes look at him again.

But Michael couldn't stop himself from saying, “I love you,” over and over, until the heart monitor only beeped one more time and everything around him turned into the complete grayscale that he never thought he would have to see again.

Geoff opened his eyes and slowly turned to see the flatline on the monitor, and slowly, he shook his head. “Oh my god,” he breathed out.

And the scream that had escaped Michael was one that truly broke Geoff's heart. He watched how Michael practically threw himself at Gavin, holding onto him as if it was going to bring him back. He listened to the way Michael begged Gavin to open his eyes, to talk to him, and Geoff finally found himself running out into the hallway to call for help.

It wasn't long until the room was filled with doctors and nurses. One particular nurse had to pull Michael off Gavin, but Michael struggled to run back to him. Geoff took over by grabbing Michael and dragging him out of the room.

Michael kept shouting “No!” His voice sounding both exhausted and choked.

“Time of death; eight forty-three PM,” a nurse said as the doctor covered Gavin with the sheet, and she frowned as she could still hear Michael's screams echo through the hallway.

 

_So here's what I wanna ask you. We've been together for a fair amount of time and well, I just think it's time that we live together. What do you say? Wanna move in? - Michael._

 

 


End file.
